Balance-escapement for time-pieces



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W; P. HANSEN. BALANGE ESGAPEMENT FOR TIME PIECES.

No. 443,363. Patented Dec. 23, 1890.

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'W. P. HANSEN. BALANCE ESGAPEMEN-T FOR TIME PIECES.

No. 443,363. I Patented Dec. 23,1890.

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W. P. HANSEN. BALANGE BSUAPEMENT FOR TIME P11301363, No. 443,363. Patented Dec. 23, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT} OFFICE.

\VILLIAM PETER HANSEN, OF NEXV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

BALANCE-ESCAPEMENT FOR TIME-PIECES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,363, dated December 23, 1890.

Application filed September '7, 1887- Serial No. 249,049- (Model) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM PETER HAN- SEN, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ti me- Piece Esc-apements; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View from the front of a movement containing my escapement. Fig. 2 is a like View of said escapement separated from the other parts of the train. Figs. 3, 4t, and 5 are front elevations of said escapement, and show, respectively, the relative positions of parts at the instant when the lever is unlocked, when the balance is receiving its impulse, and when the locking-bar is being tripped upon the return movement of the balance. Fig. 6 is a plan view, looking downward, of the movement; and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The object of my invention is to enable the movementof a time-train to be controlled, so as to avoid the irregularities which have heretofore been caused by changes of temperature and variations in the driving-power; and to this end my said invention consists in the constructionof the parts of my escapement and their combination with each other and with the connecting portions of the time-train, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.

My invention is applicable to any timetrain, but for convenience is shown in connection with such as is usually employed in thirty-hour marine clocks, in which a first wheel A, driven by means of a spring B, a second or center wheel C, a third wheel D, a fourth wheel E, and an escape-wheel F, with their arbors and pinions, are contained between and journaled within frame-plates G and G of suitable construction.

At'a suitable point near the escape-wheel arbor f is journaled an arbor H, which has formed within one side in a line with the teeth f and f of said wheel a notch 71, that has such depth that when turned to a suitable position will permit said teeth to pass freely, as

' Secured upon the arbor H adjacent to the notch h is a pallet h, which from thence ex tends forward and then downward, as shown, in such position as to cause it to engage with the escape-tooth f, that is next in front of the tooth which rests upon and is locked by said arbor, when by the rotation of the latter said last-named tooth is permitted to pass through the notch h, as shown in Fig. 5.

Upon the arbor H, at one side of the pallet h,is secured a lever 71?, which has about onefourth of its length in front of said arbor, and such portion made heavy, while the rear por tion of the lever is made as light as is consist- 7 out with strength and has substantially the same weight as its front portion, so that said parts balance each other. Upon said rear portion is an upward offset, and within the side of the same is an impulse-pin 77. while at its end is provided a rearward, downward, and then forward curved part h, as shown.

Journaled within the frame-plates G and G, near the rear end of the lever h is an arbor I, which carries a balance-wheel iand is provided with a long curved tooth t", that is adapted to be engaged by the impulse-pin h when, as hereinafter described, said parts occupy the necessary relative positions.

Secured to a fixed support K is one end of a spring Z, which upon its opposite free end carries a bar L, that has the form shown in Fig. 5, and is arranged in a line radially with the balance-arbor I, with its end near the latter. Upon one side of said bar is a pin Z, which projects laterally outward and is adapted to be engaged by the curved end 72, of the lever H, while from the support K a flat spring M extends upward along the rear side of said bar and beyond its end in a line with a tooth 6 that projects radially from said balance-arbor, which tooth has such length as to cause it to engage with said spring while passing freely over the end of said bar. A spiral spring h, secured at one end upon the arbor H and at its opposite end to a fixed support and adapted to give to said arbor a normal tendency to turn in a direction opposite to that in which said arbor is turned by the action of the eseape-wheel teeth f and f upon the pallet 7t, completes the escapement, the operation of which is as follows, viz: The normal position of parts is with the rear end it of the lever 71 hooked beneath and engaged by the locking-pin Z, and a tooth f of the escape-wheel F resting upon and locked by the arbor II. \Vhen now the balance-wheel turns in a forward direction, the releasing-tooth & engages with the spring M and moves the locking-bar L forward, so as to release said lever 7L from engagement with said pin 1, as seen in Fig. 3,when by the action of the spring h the rear end of the former moves upward and forward and causes the pin h to engage with the tooth i, and bya continnation of motion in such direction to give an impulse to said balance-wheel, as shown in Fig. 4. At the instant when the necessary impulse is being given to the balance-wheel the rotation of the pallet-arbor lI causes the notch 71. to occupy such position as to permit of the passage of a tooth fof the escape-wheel, when the next tooth in front of the same immediatelyimpinges upon the pallet 7b, as seen in Fig. 5, and overcoming the strength of the impulse-spring 7L5 reverses the motion of the arbor H and causes it to return to its normal position, with the rear end 7&4 of the lever 7L2 in engagement with the locking-pin and the solid portion of the periphery of said arbor engaged by a tooth f of the escape-wheel F. Upon the return or rearward vibration of the balance-wheel the tooth i trips the spring M without movement of the bar L, and the parts of the escapelnent are then in their original position and ready to repeat the operation de scribed.

Itwill be seen that the balance-arbor is entirely free, except at the instants when, upon the forward. vibration, the releasing-tooth moves the releasingbar out of engagement with the pallet-lever, and when, upon the return vibration, said tooth passes over the tripping-sprin g, and as each of such engagements is for but a small fraction of a vibration, and as the resisting-springs are required to have but little strength, the effect upon said balance-arboris so slight as to leave it practically without frictional resistance, except such as arises from its pivots and from the air in cont-act with the balance-wheel. It will also be seen that the balance-wheel t' is solid. Such wheel permits of much greater regularity in the motion of the time-train than would be practicable were a balance employed having a divided rim which under variations in temperature would constantly vary in diameter and in centrifugal force.

Changes in the length of thehair s n-in g of the balance-wheel, due to variations in temperature, are neutralized by corresponding changes in the impulsespring, so that the time-train is substantially free from the usual errors arising from thermotic causes.

As the balance-wheel receives its impulses entirely from a special spring and not in any part from the train, the force applied is constant, and the vibrations have a uniform length regardless of the varying tension of the train-spring as the same is wound up and runs down.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. As an improvement in escapements for time-pieces, the combination of an escapewheel, a balance-wheel, a spring for imparting motion to the latter in one direction, a spring-actuated lever for imparting motion to it in the other direction, and a locking de vice for said escape-wheel, which is caused to engage therewith by said lever, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. As an improvement in escapemcnts for time-pieces, the combination of an escapewheel, a balance-wheel, and a pallet-lever which is moved in one direction by the ac tion of a spring to impart motion to said balance-wheel and is moved in an opposite direction against the pressure of such spring by the operation of the escape-wheel to restore its normal tension and to prevent rotation of said escape-wheel, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

3. As an improvement in escapements for time-pieces, the combination of a balancewheel, an escape-wheel, an arbor interposed between the two, a spring arranged on said arbor to impart motion to said balancewheel in one direction, and a lever mounted on said arbor which operates to simultaneously restore said spring to its normal tension and to lock said escape-wheel against rotation, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. As an improvement in escapemeuts for time-pieces, the combination of a balancewheel, an escapeavlreel, an arbor interposed between the two, a spring arranged on said arbor to impart motion to said balance-wheel in one direction, a lever mounted on said arbor provided at one end with a pallet for engagement by said escape-wheel and a hook on its other end, a locking-pin for engagement with said hook, and means operated by the balance-wheel for effecting disei'igagement of said hook and pin, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. As an improvement in escapements for time-pieces, the combination of a balancewheel and its arbor, an escape-wheel, an arbor interposed between the two, a lever on said arbor which is moved in one direction by a spring and in the other direction by said escape-wheel, a pin on said lever, a tooth on the balance-arbor adapted for engagement by said pin when said lever is actuated by its spring, and the locking and releasing devices ITO consisting of a spring-bar carrying a pin adapted for engagement with said lever and a trip-spring adapted to be operated from the balance-arbor, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. As an improvement in escapements for time-pieces, the combination, with the balance and escape wheel of a time-train, of a vibratory lever receiving its mot-ion in one direction from the latter and its motion in an opposite direction independently thereof from a spring to vibrate said balance in one direction,.and locking and releasing devices consisting of ahook provided on one end of said lever, a spring-bar for engagement with said hook, and a trip-spring operated on by said balance, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. As an improvement in escapements for time-pieces, the combination, in a time mechanism, of an escape-wheel, an arbor which is moved in one direction by a spring, is adapted to be engaged successively by each tooth of the escape-wheel, and is provided with a pcripheral notch that when caused to coincide with a tooth permits of the passage of the same, a lever secured upon the arbor and provided with a pallet which by contact with a tooth of said escape-wheel causes said arbor against the pressure of the spring to be turned to its normal position, a spring-actuated bar that is adapted to lock said pallet-lever in such position, a balance-arbor carrying a balance-wheel and provided with means for tripping said bar and unlocking said pallet-lever, and means whereby the latter, when thus unlocked and moving to permit of the passage of a tooth of the escape-Wheel, gives an impulse to said balance-Wheel, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 3d day of September, A.D. 1887.

XVILLIAM PETER HANSEN. Witnesses:

JULIUs TWISS, WALTER POND. 

